Daniel Segal - Pipeline TD | Technical CG Supervisor

SEGAL COMMUNICATIONS

[Pipeline TD | Technical CG Supervisor]

DANIEL SEGAL
Pipeline TD | Technical CG Supervisor

I am an experienced professional with many years in the CGI and VFX industry. My primary focus is technical oversight, supporting artists, and ensuring pipeline stability. I enjoy being the bridge between departments-leading meetings, advising animators, riggers, and lighters, managing tickets, and finding practical technical solutions so the creative process doesn't stall.

Collaboration & Employment:

B2B Contract: I have a registered company in Serbia. This is a convenient option for studios: you can hire me on a contract basis, avoiding payroll taxes, insurance overhead, and complex HR bureaucracy.
Full-time / In-house: I am also fully open to staff positions and relocation if the project requires deep integration and on-site presence.

Core Skills

Development & Pipeline:

Architecture: Pipeline development and high-level oversight (Maya, Houdini, Nuke, Blender, Unreal Engine).
USD Ecosystem: Deep integration of USD APIs, Solaris (LOPs), USDGeom, Primvars, and Hydra Delegates logic.
Languages & Tools: Python (PyQt/PySide), C++, C, Git, CI/CD, Process automation, and tool development.
Infrastructure: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Database management (SQL, MongoDB, Redis).
Data Flow: YAML, JSON, rclone for global/cloud data sync, and custom API bridges between DCCs.

Production, VFX & Rendering:

Troubleshooting: Expert diagnosis of NaN pixels, SSS artifacts, LPE (Light Path Expressions) issues, and GPU/XPU memory optimization.
Color Management: OCIO (OpenColorIO) & ACES configuration and cross-DCC workflow standardization.
Management Tools: ShotGrid (Shotgun), Ftrack, OpenRV, FFmpeg.
Rendering & Farm: Deadline administration & optimization (Pools, Limits, Groups), Custom Event Plugins, RenderMan (RIB/Shaders), Arnold, Karma, Redshift.
Node Management: Monitoring node health, resolving license conflicts, and farm-wide error recovery (e.g., Black EXR issues).

Software & Artist Support:

Support: Providing technical guidance for Animators, Riggers, and Lighters during production.
Workflow Tools: Unreal Engine (Live Link, Cinematics), Studio Library, Substance, Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects).
Project Management: Ticketing systems (Zammad, Jira), task planning, architectural code review, and leading technical meetings.

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE & PRODUCTION SUPPORT

1. Data, Storage & OS (The Foundation)

I/O & Metadata: Resolving IOPS starvation on NAS/SAN arrays; fixing slow directory listing caused by millions of tiny files (OpenImageIO/OIIO cache issues).
Hybrid Sync: Managing high-speed data delivery via rclone; configuring synchronization logic between local storage and remote/cloud environments.
Network & Locking: Debugging SMB/NFS oplocks; fixing stale file handles on Linux and Access Denied errors on Windows due to deep path limits.
Protocol Fails: Resolving ZMQ/gRPC drops in distributed tools; fixing License Server (RLM/FlexLM) port collisions and heartbeat timeouts.
Environment War: Managing PYTHONPATH/LD_LIBRARY_PATH collisions; fixing Binary Incompatibility (ABI) between custom C++ plugins and DCC versions.

2. Legacy & Hybrid Pipelines (Alembic/FBX/OBJ)

Cache Corruption: Debugging flickering Alembic (.abc) and VDB caches; fixing Motion Blur artifacts caused by inconsistent topology or shifting vertex IDs.
Reference Nightmares: Resolving Maya Reference loops, "unresolved" paths in scenes, and Namespace collisions that break downstream scripts.
Data Translation: Fixing Vertex Color/UV Set name mismatches and Normal Map flipping during FBX/OBJ transfers between Maya, Max, Blender, and Unreal Engine.
Spatial Logic: Fixing Gimbal lock, Pivot offsets, and Coordinate System (Y-up vs Z-up) mismatches between departments.

3. Modern Architecture & USD (Solaris & Real-time)

The USD Maze: Mastering USDGeom, Primvars inheritance, and Composition Arcs (References, Payloads, Variants, Inherits).
Solaris/LOPs: Debugging Hydra Delegate rendering discrepancies; fixing USD Preview Surface mismatches and Stage Flattening logic errors.
Real-time Integration: Troubleshooting Unreal Engine USD Stage imports; managing asset scaling and shader mapping between offline DCCs and UE5.
Scene Bloat: Resolving Out of Memory (OOM) crashes during flattening; optimizing Point Instancers for massive environments.

4. DCC APIs & Data Bridges (The "Glue")

API Mastery: Deep work with Maya Python API 2.0 (OpenMaya), Houdini HOM/HDK, Nuke Python/BlinkScript, and Blender bpy.
Game Engine Bridge: Handling Unreal Python API for automated sequence setup and asset ingestion.
Blender Specifics: Handling Depsgraph update issues and Linked Library corruption.
Publishing Logic: Troubleshooting ShotGrid/Ftrack API sync errors; fixing broken Asset Versioning and Publish/Subscribe event failures.

5. Rendering & Visual Artifacts (RenderMan, Arnold, Karma)

Color Pipelines: Debugging OCIO config mismatches; ensuring identical Look-Dev results between Solaris/Hydra and final Nuke comps.
RenderMan (RIS/XPU): Fixing XPU-unsupported shading nodes; debugging RIB generation errors and Checkpointing failures.
Arnold Mastery: Optimizing .tx texture conversion; fixing ASS file pathing issues and Kick standalone render crashes.
Diagnostic Mastery: Identifying NaN/INF pixels, SSS flickering, LPE (Light Path Expression) tagging errors, and Fireflies.
Hardware Stress: Managing GPU/XPU Out-of-Core rendering, VRAM segmentation, and TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery) crashes.

6. Artist Support & Farm Stability

Deadline Chaos: Managing Database Bloat, Repository contention, Zombie-nodes, and Slave/Worker environment mismatch; developing Event Plugins for automated scene validation and cleanup.
Artist Advocacy: Resolving Studio Library UI crashes, Blendshape delta corruption, and Skin Cluster data loss to keep production moving.

Experience

Founder / Pipeline Architect
Segal Communications, Serbia — Present

Technical consulting and remote pipeline support on a contract basis.

Key achievements:

Developed and released under MIT license a production-grade validation platform for VFX/CG pipelines, preventing broken assets from reaching render or publish stages.
Built a modular Python core with parallel batch processing for high-speed integrity checks, hash-based version verification, and optional USD scene validation.
Integrated PostgreSQL and MongoDB backends for storing version hashes and enabling deterministic validation workflows.
Created both a CLI for seamless CI/CD integration and a cross-platform GUI with clear PASS/FAIL diagnostics for artists.
Delivered ready-to-run binaries for Windows and Linux with comprehensive documentation and integration examples.

CG Pipeline Developer
Yarko Animation Studio (Gazprom-Media) — "Dino’s Doctor", Moscow

Supported and enhanced existing USD pipeline for Maya, Houdini, Nuke, Blender
Developed render farm submitters for Houdini and Nuke
Solved render farm issues: fixed black EXR, configured pool selection system
Maintained Ftrack for production data management
Managed technical support system via Zammad
Enhanced FX publishing tools, auto-save, and versioning systems
Provided technical support for 200+ users
Contributed to production of feature films and series such as "Team Match," "Moto Mars"

Lead Technical Director
VFX Digital, Iceland (Remote)

Optimized existing VFX pipeline and administered render farm
Deployed and managed containerized applications using Docker and Kubernetes
Used Terraform for infrastructure management
Developed tools for automated data transfer processes
Configured Redis for caching and session management
Designed and optimized databases for production data storage
Provided technical support, code review, task planning, and team coordination

Lighting & Rendering Artist / Developer
Mukha Studio, Feature Film "Sadko", Ufa

Lighting and rendering for feature film project
Developed custom shaders, RIB generators, and scripts for RenderMan
Combined artistic and technical tasks

Education

Python Developer — GeekBrains
Architecture Diploma — Bashkir Construction Architecture College (BASC) - I received the specialty of a technician-architect but never worked in the specialty. During my studies, I repeatedly attended additional courses in 3d, programming, cad, and also participated in the creation of the Tarantula youth business school in St. Petersburg under the guidance of teachers.
Art School at BCAC - Graphics, painting, composition and sculpture classes
Ufa State palace of Art - Music diploma

Languages

Russian (Native)
English (Fluent)
Serbian (Fluent)

Open to relocation abroad.